Sukhumvit to Petchaburi MRT
The Sukhumvit/Asoke MRT station is the interchange station with the similar-named BTS and emerging from the underground visitors will find themselves at the convergence of Sukhumvit, Ratchadaphisek and Asok Montri Roads. It is a central commuting point for many in Bangkok.
The Asoke area has undergone major renovation and gentrification over the past 10 years or so, especially since the opening of the MRT in 2004. The shopping mall Terminal 21 opened right alongside the Asoke station, and is filled with the usual fast-food style restaurants and clothes outlets as well as an FX Cinema.
Down on Sukhumvit Soi 21 is Baan Kamthieng House Museum. It’s a renovated teak house that was originally erected in northern Thailand and stands just two storeys high. It purports to showcase daily life in what was then northern Siam in the nineteenth century.
Completely the opposite of the teak historical house, yet a nonetheless equally ‘historical’ site is the short soi of go-go bars and beer bars known as Soi Cowboy. Increasingly anachronistic against the plethora of glitzy condos and high-rises towering above it and surrounding it, this tourist and expat nightlife mecca started life in the 1970s.
Coming out of exit 4 of the BTS section of the MRT, is the British-style pub The Black Swan, regarded as one of the best of its type in Bangkok.
Within a relatively short stroll from the MRT/BTS stations, there are any number of hotels of varying quality, restaurants, and shops selling all things any tourist may want, and much they may not.
Of course, being an interchange station with the BTS, it means Asoke MRT is the perfect place to use to get around the rest of the BTS network.
While Sukhumvit/Asoke is about as busy and filled with potential tourist attractions, the next MRT station along the line is a complete contrast. The Petchaburi MRT is located at the Asok-Petchaburi Road intersection along Asok-Din Daeng Road and is surrounded by business buildings as well as the Embassy of Iran and schools like Saint Dominic and Don Bosco Technical. For people with eyesight problems, the highly-regarded Rutnin Eye Hospital is nearby.
The most interesting attraction, for want of a better term, is the working Saen Seap canal, or khlong. Commuters can link up with the Khlong Saen Seap Express Boat via the Asok Pier and take a spin around what little waterways are still operational in the metropolis.
Petchaburi MRT is also the interchange station with the Airport Rail Link (Makkasan Station) and therefore perfect for anyone needing to get to Suvarnabhumi but not wanting to brave the traffic.
